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Most lasagna recipes require 30-45min of baking. Fresh pasta however only requires 2-4min of cooking. If I use fresh pasta in lasagne, will it not overcook?

Edit: The linked duplicate question is about a very different, even the opposite topic: how not to undercook pasta. I am talking about overcooking it.

user1721135
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    Possible duplicate of [Can Fresh unboiled egg pasta be used for lasagna?](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/8885/can-fresh-unboiled-egg-pasta-be-used-for-lasagna) – spodger Mar 08 '19 at 11:56
  • The linked question and many other similar questions revolve around the opposite: how or if to preboil pasta. – user1721135 Mar 08 '19 at 15:09
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    It doesn't overcook exactly, but it results in a *much* different product than that made with commercially produced dried pasta. – Joe Mar 08 '19 at 19:05
  • @Joe would you say the result is better? I am just worried, that the pasta will be mushy and not aldente. Or perhaps the sheets are still thick enough to prevent it becoming mushy? – user1721135 Mar 10 '19 at 19:31
  • @user1721135 : 'better' is subjective. It's not what I think of as *al dente*. I've never had fresh pasta that truly was. And it's not typical in casseroles in general unless you start from uncooked. Think of the texture that you get with fresh ravioli ... it's more tender like that. – Joe Mar 11 '19 at 15:33

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Lasagna, using freshly made pasta, can be constructed by (a) pre-boiling the noodles, then building the lasagna, then baking, or (b) layering the lasagna with uncooked noodles, then baking. Both methods result in a good final product, though you may need a bit more liquid (sauce, for example) in the version that is not pre-cooked. I've tried both and prefer to cook my noodles first, then bake. In either case, the noodles do not "over cook". They should be soft (except perhaps the edges, which I like crispy). It might seem counter-intuitive, but noodles in lasagna hold up just fine. By the way, I prefer most of my fresh pasta cooked longer than 2 - 3 minutes, especially more hearty types, but I get your point.

moscafj
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  • So because the pasta is not completely submerged, but in between sauces it is not cooked as quickly and can withstand 40min of baking? I am just worried, that the pasta would be mushy. If you boiled pasta for 40min, especially fresh pasta, it would probably completely disintegrate. Guess I'll have to try. – user1721135 Mar 10 '19 at 19:33
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Fresh raw pasta works fine in lasagna pasta ; I have made the filling a little wetter than usual. The pasta is submerged more or less ( under cheese topping in mine) so has no problem with overcooking ( or undercooking ).

blacksmith37
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